


Sweet Victory

by sideoftea (orphan_account)



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Board Games, Dialogue, Fluff, Garreg Mach Monastery (Fire Emblem), M/M, One Shot, POV Third Person, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:34:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21794632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/sideoftea
Summary: Claude and Sylvain have been meeting up frequently to play a board game in their spare time. Claude has won every match thus far, but tonight Sylvain may finally secure a victory.
Relationships: Sylvain Jose Gautier & Claude von Riegan, Sylvain Jose Gautier/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 10
Kudos: 94





	Sweet Victory

**Author's Note:**

> This piece takes place during the Academy Phase of Three Houses, sometime after Chapter 5 (Tower of Black Winds - The Gautier Inheritance). There are some small spoilers for this part of the game. 
> 
> The story is mostly from Sylvain's POV.

“Your move.” 

This was it. He finally got him cornered. The crooked smirk of the academy’s most notorious philanderer broke from its imprisonment behind a stoic poker face. And who could blame him? The game was intense, and considering the caliber of his opponent, he was going to take every opportunity to relish in the moment. In this game of strategy, numbers were important, but what really distinguished the greats from the rabble was a player’s ability to outwit, deceive, and capitalize in a moment. The hint of a worrying crease flickered at the edge of his opponent’s eyebrow. Was he nervous? This tell only further convinced Sylvain he was about to secure victory. 

After a long moment of contemplation Claude made his next move, opting to beeline his group of archers towards the edge of the map. Big mistake. Sylvain had anticipated this maneuver, noting that Claude had done it many times before, and this time he was ready. He could hardly hide his cocky smirk as he cut off the escape route of Claude’s game pieces with his group of armored tanks. Claude carried forth with the action of rolling three dice, even though it was fruitless. He needed a whopping seventeen to so much as damage Sylvain’s battalion, but he had no other options. The dice roll failed miserably. Thus, Sylvain attempted his much more favorable roll, managing to eradicate Claude’s forces by a few points. He eagerly collected the house leader’s archer pieces, away from the board for good, into the palm of his hand. Being someone who was very competitive, Claude was somewhat frustrated but gave an affirmative nod of sportsmanship regardless.

“Not bad for an airhead like me, huh?” Sylvain jeered.

“Game’s not over yet, Sylvain.” Claude retorted, with a grin that reflected his indulgence with the friendly banter. 

Sylvain was ecstatic to have found a formidable opponent in Claude, and the two had been playing the game any chance they could over the past moon. He hadn’t found much luck in playing it consistently with his classmates. Dimitri always favored physical activities over mental ones, and became easily frustrated with the fragility of the little game pieces the few times he attempted to play. Felix and Ingrid chastised him for wanting to play it too much, swearing it was an utter waste of time and he ought to get more serious about his training. Ashe seemed to avoid him all together, finding an excuse to dip every time he offered to so much as grab lunch, let alone play a board game. Annette wasn’t bad, but she usually wanted to spend her time studying, and Mercedes, bless her heart, was often willing to play but never got the hang of the tactical mindset it required. He actually had played with Dedue a couple times, who found it enjoyable and was actually quite good, but he rarely had time to play because he was tending to Dimitri constantly.

But Claude was different. He managed a delicate balance between the art of relaxation and rising to various challenges. Claude’s style of leadership actually had Sylvain muse the idea of transferring houses a couple of times. He probably would have been a Golden Deer by now if it wasn’t for his long-time friendships with Ingrid, Felix, and Dimitri. At the very least, his matches with Claude proved to be a welcome break from the overwhelming plague of seriousness that befell the Blue Lions. 

He recalled the night they first started playing. Sylvain, bored out of his mind, and tired of training, set up the game on one of the many tables that outlined the reception hall. He pitifully attempted to develop a way he could alter the game to accomodate a solo player by setting up challenges for himself. This proved pointless, however, for every time he crafted a scenario, he inevitably figured out the solution while building it. Eventually he gave up, settling to unceremoniously twirl a game piece around his fingers. A couple girls passed by, giggling at the sight of him pouting like a child. He tried to regain a suave demeanor and shoot a wink, but the damage was done. The girls walked on, surely to gossip with their friends about what an embarrassment he was. 

He could hardly stand this damn place. What was even the point? Training to get involved in some inevitable war that would end with him, at worst, being ravaged by guilt for the rest of his days, and at best, die somewhat quickly and painlessly? And if not a war, he was probably doomed to marry someone he never truly loved in an effort to uphold his family’s awful legacy. The latter seemed more likely. A crested noble like himself was too important to fight on the frontlines, or some trivial excuse like that. And Mikklan, the fool, spent his entire wretched life being jealous of him, not even realizing his own potential freedom to do whatever he wanted. Instead he let himself be consumed by bitterness and hatred over something that was out of their control. Sure, Sylvain still felt a shred sympathy for his brother. But that didn’t stop him from feeling Mikklan’s end was one that was well-deserved.

The thoughts were enough to bring tears to his eyes, but before they would arrive, the merciful apathy would set in. The last thing Sylvain needed was to get emotional in front of all these people. He could just focus on what he did best. He was aware his flirtatiousness was shallow, but he had already determined he was not someone destined to have a lasting impact on anyone. By acting the way he did, he could at the very least bring a smile to a pretty girl’s face every now and then. It was small. But it was tangible. 

“Hate to break it to ya. But I don’t think you’re gonna get too far playing by yourself.”

Sylvain raised his head, his eyes seized by a splash of bright yellow from a Leicester noble’s cape. There stood Claude, the mystery man himself. Sylvain had a knack for discerning people’s character, and had a basic read on almost every student by this point. But not Claude. He knew he liked the guy; Claude was friendly and charismatic. He didn’t seem to care about one’s birthright or status, which was a refreshing mindset. But he’d never seen Claude open up. It was hard to understand what was truly hiding under that easygoing, yet stiff exterior. Perhaps they weren’t so different after all. Sylvain couldn’t help but chuckle to himself a bit at the thought.

“What’s so funny?” Claude inquired, quizzically raising an eyebrow.

“Well Lord Riegan, I find it amusing that you’re so concerned with my game here. Don’t you have more pressing matters to attend?” Sylvain slyly replied. 

“I was on my way to said matters. But it’s hard to miss someone moping over a prepped board game with no other players to be seen.” Sylvain couldn’t help but feel a bit flustered. He racked his brain, trying to determine whether he really seemed that obviously distraught or if Claude just had great intuition. Nevertheless, he was still someone of quick wit. That would never change.

“Come now. A tactical mind such as yourself surely can admire the work I am trying to do here?” Sylvain prodded, teeth dripping with sarcasm.

“I can definitely appreciate it. What surprises me is seeing you here by yourself. I figured you’d be sharing dinner with a beautiful young lass by now,” Claude responded, knowingly putting Sylvain on the spot.

“Oh! Well. You see Claude... I just got back from a- uh- fantastic dinner!”

“Oh yeah? With who?”

“Someone from the Black Eagles house. Uh, I think her name was... Danielle? Yeah Danielle.”

“Really? I’ve never met this… Danielle,” Claude smiled at him, obviously not being fooled. “Last I checked, no one in Edelgard’s house has that name.”

“Okay. Ya got me.” Sylvain breathed, somewhat annoyed. “It's just a silly board game I like to play. I was trying to find a way to play it by myself.”

“No one else in your house wants to participate?” Claude asked, immediately being met with a look that brought to attention how ridiculous the question was. “Okay, yeah, good point.”

“It’s fine. Everyone thinks I only care about seeking the company of women, but I have other interests. I’m perfectly content being alone right now."

“Never thought I’d hear Sylvain of all men say that. I guess there is still hope for the rest of us!” Claude chortled good-naturedly. 

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up,” Sylvain grunted, now perturbed, “Not to be rude but I’m really not in the mood to be ridiculed so if you’ll excuse me.”

“Wait, Sylvain. Sorry. I was just poking fun,” Claude explained, reaching out for the redhead’s shoulder in an effort to stop him. The archer swallowed hard before continuing, "I actually wanted to stop and give you my sympathy… for your brother.” Sylvain exhaled, letting his defenses down a bit.

“Thanks," Sylvain murmured, "I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t still weighing on my mind.”

“I’m not really good with this kind of stuff, but I imagine that’s normal. Just know that I'm here for you." Claude stated as genuinely as possible. Sylvain nodded robotically, vacant eyes remaining stuck on a tipped over game piece that was rolling precariously near the edge of the table. Sylvain caught Claude’s gaze briefly, giving a half-hearted smile as a means of showing gratitude. They stood in silence for a brief moment when Claude’s eyes lit up with a new idea.

“Say, why don’t you teach me this game?”

“Pardon?”

“It looks interesting. And maybe it would help take your mind off things.”

“Didn’t you have prior obligations?”

“It’s not that I don’t like reviewing _Manners and Conduct of Alliance Nobility_ with Lorenz, but I’d also prefer to do literally anything else right now.” Sylvain’s expression brightened at the remark. With newfound enthusiasm Sylvain ushered Claude to sit across from him. He smoothed out the playing map and proceeded to explain the general objective. He also took great care to explain each type of game piece and their abilities. Claude turned out to be paying more attention than Sylvain initially thought, as he actually brought to attention a couple inconsistencies in the rules. The boys eventually agreed on a couple house rules to make the game feel more airtight. With the little free time they had left, they attempted a quick round. The game ended in a bit of a stalemate, but Claude already had a grasp on the game’s flow, and was ready to compete more legitimately. 

Since that night, they had met on several more occasions to challenge each other. Much to Sylvain’s chagrin, Claude had won every time, and Sylvain didn’t even go easy on him. This, however, proved to be the motivation he was looking for. Sylvain became fueled by the desire to best Claude in a feat of strategy in a way that mirrored Felix’s incessant desire to defeat formidable opponents in matches of swordplay. He longed for the day he’d finally wipe Claude’s smug grin off his cute face. Wait, did he just think-? Perhaps. It was strange, but he did find himself becoming more and more interested in the young archer as the days passed. It wasn’t a serious crush by any means, but he couldn’t deny how much he looked forward to spending time with Claude. 

Their kinship continued to evolve, founded on the basis of their shared sense of humor and good-natured banter. Occasionally during the slower beginning phases of the game, they would delve into more serious discussions of their past or their dreams. It turns out Sylvain was not the only one with a target on his back, so to speak. They both experienced prejudice growing up; hatred that was hardly befitting of a child. A kind of malice they could only begin to closer analyze during their coming of age. They both dreamed of a future where realities weren’t determined by crests or social standing and were frequently frustrated by monastery’s perpetuation of hierarchy. It was therapeutic for them to connect on a more simple level, where they could speak freely without worrying about repercussions. The stakes were lower here, the only requirement being the innocent enjoyment of an insignificant pastime.

But now here they were, the night where the friendly rivalry was about to get more interesting. Sylvain conducted his next move, which was to seize one of the central onagers. He knew this would deter Claude from making a head-on assault, since that was a death wish. Whenever Claude retreated, he always retracted a large mass of forces in order to bait Sylvain to use resources and chase after them. Then, he would discreetly send a small key group of powerful units down a sideline path, strategically placing them in a position to seek vengeance. But this time Sylvain had a new strategy. He would make Claude think he was falling for the same trick, but in the thick of his army were a group of mages ready to cast Warp to intercept Claude’s vulnerable fleet of generals. And given the rules of their game, taking out these units would default Sylvain the win.

“So Claude, tell your good pal Sylvain. You got your eye on any ladies?” Sylvain interrogated, carefully watching Claude make his anticipated retreating action.

“I keep telling you, I’m not really focused on marriage right now,” Claude sighed, shaking his head in amusement.

“No, not marriage! Jeez, I just mean someone you can have some fun with.”

“Eh, not really.”

“Ah come on. A guy as handsome as you has gotta have lots of gals doting over him,” Sylvain teased, opting to take his turn.

“Maybe. I guess I haven’t been paying attention.”

“I for one have noticed many people looking your way.”

“Oh?” Claude queried, narrowing his eyes slightly.

“Like Hilda for instance. You two hang out all the time. She’s a cutie!”

“Oh no, Hilda and I have already discussed this. We’re close, but not in that way.”

“Really?”

“Yep.” Claude exclaimed with a cheeky grin.

“Hm. What about Dorothea?”

“She’s beautiful, sure, but I don’t know her that well.”

“Alright. I’m going to make it my mission to find you a date by the end of this moon.”

“If you insist,” Claude replied with an eye roll. However, a smile still graced the corners of his mouth. Sylvain was earnest, and he couldn’t knock the guy for such unbridled ambition. 

“I got your back,” Sylvain addressed raising his eyebrows suggestively. He moved to take his turn. It was almost time for the power play. He just had to ensure Claude would take the bait. Sylvain, as inconspicuous as possible, moved his game pieces forward in a full-frontal assault.

“How about you? Do you have any ladies on your radar?”

“I did,” Sylvain admitted, “But things didn’t quite end well, so there aren’t any particular girls currently.”

“How about gentlemen?” Sylvain practically choked on a swallow of air upon hearing this. He expected to peer upwards and be met by one of Claude’s sly expressions that implied he was teasing, but the house leader looked dead serious.

“I don’t- I mean- I-” Sylvain stuttered, desperately grasping for some sense of poise. Claude listened intently while finishing his turn and fell right into Sylvain’s trap. “Aha! Gotcha Claude!” Sylvain, just as excited to change the subject as he was at the prospect of winning, suddenly stood out of his seat. He made his move certainly, albeit lacking some grace. His forces were teleported in, and a favorable dice roll finally secured Sylvain his long-awaited victory.

“Well, I’ll be. That’s game,” Claude observed, surprisingly unphased. He slow clapped for the redhead triumphantly dancing in front of him.

“Great match, Claude.” Sylvain extended his hand sincerely, managing to briefly calm down his excitement.

“Likewise. We should celebrate!”

“Celebrate?”

“Of course. After all, you finally managed to best me! That’s not easy to do,” Claude grinned impishly in a way that humored Sylvain.

“You’re a tough opponent. That’s for sure.”

“How about we grab dinner? Just you and me.”

“Y-yeah! Dinner sounds great!” Sylvain chirped, feeling a warmth envelop his face. 

“Oh. And Sylvain. Your maneuver was incredibly smart, but here’s what I would have actually done.” Sylvain, befuddled, watched as Claude’s deft hands returned to the game board, mimicking a different course of action Claude could have taken. Sylvain couldn’t believe it. Not only would it have evaded his initial trap, but it completely turned the tables. 

“No way…” Sylvain whined, staring slack-jawed at Claude’s demonstration.

“What can I say? You deserved a win.” Claude endearingly placed a hand on Sylvain’s shoulder and gave him a peck on the cheek. Sylvain, paralyzed, witnessed the young archer offer a signature wink before sauntering off with brimming confidence.

Needless to say, Sylvain could hardly believe what happened during that blur of a moment. His feelings were hard to describe, but he was thrilled at that the prospect of getting to know more about Claude. The skilled archer was a bundle of mysterious just waiting to be unraveled. It really seemed like Claude wanted to get to know him better too. Not the crested noble who was heir to House Gautier, but the real, unapologetic him. The redhead sheepishly followed the path Claude had carved towards the dining hall, humming to himself with a smile that shone brighter than any star. 

**Author's Note:**

> The more I write Sylvain the more I realize how much I relate to him. Seriously, why does he have so much depth? But that's why I love him. He completely subverted my expectations based on my first impression of him. Anyway, I hope I did him (at least a little) justice. 
> 
> Claude and Sylvain's dynamic was fun to brainstorm. They are both witty and joke around a lot, so they would probably tease each other constantly. I also really liked the idea that Claude is one of the few people that can make Sylvain somewhat flustered.
> 
> My inspiration for this fic came from the fact that both Sylvain and Claude canonically love board games. And I thought doing a quick one-shot around that idea for this pair would be fun. Thank you so much for reading, I hope y'all liked it!
> 
> Twitter: @PerfectTeatime_


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